Friday, November 10, 2006

Perhaps you noticed those pretty round badges toward the bottom of my sidebar - if you didn't, don't worry I'll wait for you to go take a look.

*whistling*

*humming "Girl from Ipanema"*

*Tall and tan and young and lovely...*

You're back? Good. Let me explain the meaning behind those beauties.

Those badges are American Cancer Society - Fight Cancer badges to help raise awareness about the fight against cancer. My blog is sporting the lovely blue Colon Cancer Awareness badge and the equally stunning purple Relay for Life badge, two causes that are very near and dear to my heart.

I lost my mother to colon cancer (or, colorectal cancer, as it is often referred to now) just over 2 and a half years ago. Unfortunately, at the age of 44 years old, no doctor thought that the cause of her sickness and pain was colon cancer and in the time spent ping-ponging between doctors to get a correct diagnosis the cancer had a chance to get into her lympnodes before it was removed. She was 51 when she died. My daughter will never know her grandmother.

From the ACS website: "Other than skin cancer, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer found in men and women in this country. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 106,680 new cases of colon cancer and 41,930 new cases of rectal cancer in 2006 in the United States. Combined, they will cause about 55,170 deaths."

55,170 deaths.

The age that most people are urged to get checked is 50, and though my hope is that everyone gets a colonoscopy as soon as they reach that magical number I also hope that people will listen to their bodies and force their doctors to give them the test if they believe it is needed. Insurance companies are not too keen on giving colonoscopies before the age of 50 so you have to fight for it. And fight you should - early detection is key to beating colon cancer. Did I make that clear enough? The number of cases of colorectal cancer has been going down in the past 15 years, thanks in part to early detection. Early detection = increased likelihood of not dying from this horrible disease. And it is horrible so, please, get checked as soon as you can.

If you like those buttons and you'd like to spread the word about cancer awareness (they have others: Breast, Lung, Ovarian, Cancer Survivor, etc.) go here. So far we are 209 strong, which means 209 blogs/websites have these badges displayed proudly.

When it comes to cancer (and especially colon cancer. Let's face it, few people want to talk about their colon) the more we talk about it the more awareness we raise, and with awareness comes more survivors.

Get a badge. What's a few more buttons on your sidebar?

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*The title of this post refers to quotes from this movie and this one. It has nothing to do with colons or rectums. What are you, six? Stop giggling.

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To lighten the mood:In case you were interested, no, a burrito is not a sandwich. I've never been so proud to live in this part of the state as I am right now.

I've been to that "restaurant" once. Personally, I don't think Panera has anything to worry about. Their burritos can not be classified as a sandwich, nor can they be called "tasty".

I'm so glad you chose some badges. Sorry you need to know cancer and the yuckiness it brings, but happy you are helping to raise awareness! Did you know when I first put mine on my blog, there were only a little over 100? That's 100 less than there are now! Excellent!

Awareness and early detection are the key. I remember your posts about your mom and the Relay For Life. Again, I am sorry for your loss. It must be painful, especially having a child of your own :(

My husband, who is 40, has already been for a colonoscopy, as his father and grandfather both had colon cancer. His GF died from it. His Dad was given a 5% survival chance of five years(Grade 4 invasive colon cancer with metastasis to various sites)That was fifteen years ago, and he is cancer free.

Thanks for the info on this. My best friend of 25+ years died this past August from breast cancer and I lost my mother-in-law to ovarian several years ago. I am proud to display these buttons on my site, especially to honor my friend Marjorie (who I've blogged about a few times since she died).

Also, thanks for the nudge about the colonoscopy. I'm not 50 year, but the M.D.s have been suggesting I get one and I've been putting it off ... I will listen to you and them and get off my arse and get it scheduled.

I already know skin cancer (3 different kinds! including the deadliest!) runs in my family (mum's in remission) and have been doing the terry fox run for cancer research since I was 7. Great way to support a great cause

So sorry to hear about your mum. I can't imagine a world without mine (though I've had to try). a

Good reminders, thank you. We should all strive to be more informed about our health. At the very least, go get an annual checkup. Choose a primary care provider and see him/her regularly. Pay attention to your body and any changes you notice.

Prevention and/or early detection. We pay through the nose for our health care coverage - we should use it. Same goes for our neighbors up north - it may be administered differently, but it still costs us. Get our money's worth!

Great post on a worthwhile cause. My hubby had cancer a while back and sometimes gets frustrated when the only cure we focus on is for breast cancer. Sad to say there are many other forms out there....

Avoiding the difficult subjects and getting right to the trivial, that's me - I ate at Qdoba once when they moved in to the area and gave us free burrito coupons. Yuck! They steam their tortillas until they are gummy and then serve the taste-free burritos with cilantro-lime rice that borders on being sour. Ick.

If they are going to give away free coupons, they should make sure the food is edible first.

A good friend of ours was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer, at age 37. He is fighting hard, and his prognosis is as good as it can be under the circumstances. I'm going to get a badge for my blog too. Thanks for telling me about it.

I'm so, so sorry about your Mom. I can't imagine losing mine. My mom is still alive, but she suffered significant heart damage because her disease was not diagnosed even though she presented classic symptoms of her disease. Her life expectancy has been drastically shortened because of it, and I have a lot of anger about it.

I got those badges last month when Tori talked about them (radioactive girl). I have colon and lung cancer badges up in honor of my friend with both (see my post on why I got my tattoo). Thanks for passing along the information again. I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. I cannot even imagine the pain of losing your mom.

We ate at the Mexican restaurant today. It just came to our city. Never again. My daughter had an allergic reaction and my son was violently ill.

You inspire me lady. Awareness is one of the most important thing that you can do to help issues like this. So often with the publicty surrounding the pink ribbon campaign we forget the other critical issues out there that need our support. Big hugs to the amazing Mrs. Chicky!

i just found y0ur blog + i love it!as a mom with cancer, i've met so many nice people at chemotherapy + radiation that said they felt fine until the doctor told them they had cancer. it's really stealthy until it's too late.awareness + surveillance is key!